NFL defections open up recruiting for Georgia Tech
With four more scholarships to offer, how long do you think it took Georgia Tech coaches to give Southwest DeKalb defensive end and UGA commit T.J. Stripling a call? (Chip Towers)
With three more Georgia Tech juniors now making the jump to the NFL, look for the Yellow Jackets’ 2010 recruiting efforts to jump into hyperdrive.
Morgan Burnett, Jonathan Dwyer and Derrick Morgan all announced their intentions Tuesday to enter the NFL draft as underclassmen. They follow wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who already made that decision this past weekend. And while that certainly hurts Tech in the short term, it definitely helps with this year’s recruiting class.
Due to low attrition and a fluke of circumstances, the Jackets had an unusually small number of scholarships to offer for 2010. They were maxed out at 12 commitments for almost the entire fall and only added a 13th — linebacker Quayshawn Nealy of Lakeland — after a scholarship became available during the season.
Now they can go out and nab at least four more recruits and take advantage of the historic 11-3, ACC championship season just completed. The Yellow Jackets’ coaches were due to huddle for a recruiting meeting Wednesday morning.
One recruit that will no doubt be hearing from Tech is Westlake cornerback Darius Robinson. Robinson is a longtime Clemson commit and was up there this past weekend. But he expressed a desire weeks ago to possibly play close to home with the Yellow Jackets if a scholarship came open. Not only has that happened but Tech is now in need of another receiver.
The Yellow Jackets have never ceased in their recruitment of Beaufort, S.C., linebacker Justin Parker, but have remained in a difficult battle with Clemson and South Carolina. They’ve also remained in contact with linebacker Atlanta-Washington High safety Quadral Forte.
And, of course, the rumor that just won’t go away is that the Jackets remain in the hunt for Southwest DeKalb defensive end and AJC Super 11 selection T.J. Stripling, a longtime Georgia commitment. Of course, both schools are currently without defensive coordinators. So nothing is likely to happen with any defensive players until those hires are completed. Recently-ousted Virginia head coach Al Groh reportedly is in line for the Tech DC position.
I’ve got calls and messages out to a bunch of these guys but I wanted to go ahead and get something out there. I’ll update this post as soon as I get some responses. Let us know of other targets I may have overlooked in my haste and I’ll check them out.
Stay tuned. . . .
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89 comments Add your comment
How do you make Ga. Tech Cookies?
January 11th, 2010
2:53 pm
Put them in a big bowl and beat the crud out of them!
Gooberdawg
January 11th, 2010
2:56 pm
Yer funy mannn. Thats coool babee
William Cromwell
January 11th, 2010
2:58 pm
How do you beat UGA in a BCS game?? Wait, I guess they would have to make it there first.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
January 11th, 2010
2:58 pm
tj is UGA all the way. Chip- any follow up/news about Dexter Morant and his in home visit from Clemson?
Gooberdawg
January 11th, 2010
2:59 pm
Them Tek plaers ainyt goonna git draftid cuz they playyed in thaat siissy ACC. Onlys draft they see is gona see is th Army
Class of 45-42
January 11th, 2010
3:00 pm
smelter is playing baseball from here on out. he didn’t even play football last year
Paul's Johnson
January 11th, 2010
3:01 pm
It is time to go get Tony Zenon from Deerfield Windsor in Albany, GA.. Go Jackets!
Hmm
January 11th, 2010
3:02 pm
FYI, the ACC has faired better than the sec in the last few NFL drafts.
Chip Towers
January 11th, 2010
3:02 pm
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater: Haven’t been able to get them to answer up there, sir. No surprise tho. Should be some news leaking out before the day is done. . . .
UGA in 3 BCS games this decade
January 11th, 2010
3:04 pm
Tech in only one in their history. And they lost. Get your facts straight, Cromwell. Oh by the way, all of ours were sellouts.
Movin on up
January 11th, 2010
3:05 pm
Defensive players come on down. With an ex-NFL DC at Tech that coached under Parcells and Belicheck (SP?), defensive players should be lining up to play at Tech. Not so much for a school with an unproven DC that is willing to leave a championship program to one on the decline with few NFL contacts.
mts315
January 11th, 2010
3:07 pm
Wow, I love the research that is done here.
Deandre Smelter has already signed a Letter of Intent to play baseball at GT. However, he will probably be drafted very high in the MLB draft.
Ron Mexico
January 11th, 2010
3:08 pm
Hey William, last year we went to the Sugar Bowl and WON. How about that. I know it burns.
OFM
January 11th, 2010
3:11 pm
Kendall Moore from NC?, Blake Sims?, Jon Lee? Michael Thornton?
Porty
January 11th, 2010
3:15 pm
Hey Ron Mexico, who is “we?” It sure as hell wasn’t UGa, nimrod.
Cuttysark
January 11th, 2010
3:15 pm
Nice updates Chip. Also thank you for your responses on prior blogs. Is Darius Robnson a certain switch from Clemson now that Tech has opened up 4 more slots? Also, is the T.J. Stripling rumor based on whether or not Tech freed up additional slots, or is it just nothing more than an interesting rumor to stir the dawg nation? Any possibility on Michael Thornton with the additional openings. Thanks.
For additional Georgia Tech football articles including a report on the aftermath from the Orange Bowl go to http://isportsweb.com.
Vick=Dog killing thug
January 11th, 2010
3:19 pm
Was hoping to hear something on Kirby. Tech is so hohum.
Tech82
January 11th, 2010
3:20 pm
Speaking of recruiting, now that Kirby Smart has officially turned down the UGA job, who will UGA’s fifth choice be for that position? If the UGA program was as stong as the fans on these boards would have you believe, the job wouldn’t be that hard to fill.
Ron Mexico
January 11th, 2010
3:20 pm
Oh my bad the year before that. Last year we WON the Capital One Bowl. How about you win a game before you run your mouths though Tech fans.
Tech Man
January 11th, 2010
3:22 pm
Who cares about these idiot comments from the uga fans.Tech is got to step up the pace..Offense will be good,they got some studs to replace Dwyer,Defence is what we have to focus on.BIGGER ON THE DL!!!!and a 3-4 D will work.
Tech82
January 11th, 2010
3:27 pm
With the staggering number of unemployed in America, surely one of them knows something about defense and would be willing to work as UGA’s DC. Anyone… Anyone… Buehler… Beuhler…
Tech82
January 11th, 2010
3:34 pm
Wanted: Defensive Coordinator for an overrated, third-rate SEC football program. Would replace Willie Martinez so no experience is required. No need to submit a resume, just show up to work.
Ga Dawg
January 11th, 2010
3:35 pm
30-24 ha !
Little Bity Stinger
January 11th, 2010
3:37 pm
((((30-24)))) Me very sad.
Still Hurts?
January 11th, 2010
3:39 pm
((((30-24))))
Reggie 'I have one' Ball
January 11th, 2010
3:41 pm
Tech82, didn’t Martinez defense beat Tech 5 of 6 years?
Curious
January 11th, 2010
3:42 pm
Is J. Whitaker out of the running?
collegeballfan
January 11th, 2010
4:07 pm
If Al Groh ends up as DC at GT, Michael Thornton needs to get a personal visit from Johnson & Groh. He has a job at Gt if he wants it
from the best 3/4 guy in the business.
Norm Peterson
January 11th, 2010
4:10 pm
HAHA….do you expect to get a top notch DC? you are just a middle of the road program..This proves it! LMAO
Tech75
January 11th, 2010
4:16 pm
Kirby was SMART.
Anyone who thought this was going to happen was DUMB.
Why would he make a lateral move when he’s close to moving to a HC position somewhere?
Monticello Dawg
January 11th, 2010
4:22 pm
NFL contacts or not, check the number of Dogs playing in the League. Few schools have more players in the NFL.
As for the DC job, there are plenty of quality applicants, since it is one of the premiere coordinator positions in the country. It may not be a household name, but neither were Brian Van Gorder or Mark Fox. Those seem to have worked out pretty well for UGA.
David
January 11th, 2010
4:27 pm
Darius Robinson WR? He’s a CB. And Smelter is already signed to play baseball at GT, but he’s going pro. Do you even do research?
Savannah Jacket
January 11th, 2010
4:28 pm
Chip – Wasn’t there a running back down in Camden County that Tech was looking at during the High School Play-Offs?
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
January 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
what happened to the other guy from Milli Vanilli
Chip Towers
January 11th, 2010
4:53 pm
David: I was a little hasty there. Sorry. In fact, I wrote a story on DeAndre Smelter when he committed to the Tech baseball team in November. And I’ve spoke with Darius Robinson many times. . . . So who are you hearing?
Chip Towers
January 11th, 2010
4:54 pm
Savannah Jacket: The back to whom you refer is Ean Days and, yes, I think he may be on Tech’s “maybe” list. I’ll try to find out.
Where's Pollack?
January 11th, 2010
5:02 pm
what happened to the other guy from Milli Vanilli?
I believe he’s on the phone with CMR right now.. declining the UGA DC job.
I hear Michael Adams is fueling his private plane right now to see if Gary Coleman is still looking for a job…
Buzzed Driving
January 11th, 2010
5:06 pm
The DC hires and recruiting b/t UGA and Tech should provide for some entertaining reading the next couple of weeks. Looking forward to it.
Flo-Ri-Duh!
January 11th, 2010
5:06 pm
Wher there goes the only two good players on the defense … what now Tech?
Flo-Ri-Duh!
January 11th, 2010
5:10 pm
We don’t need no stinking DC… just send me the money and I can do as well as Kirby Smart any day…. he just carries Saban’s clip board and he knows it. He would be like a deer in the head lights without Saban standing next to him. Richt got lucky.. now he go after Grantham – who actually knows more about defense than Smart will ever know.
juvenal
January 11th, 2010
5:16 pm
so is easier or harder to recruit after the year GT had/
messin with sasquatch
January 11th, 2010
5:18 pm
nice reward for playin in a high school offense. so how many doggs are leavin early?
Sally
January 11th, 2010
5:19 pm
One word: S-H-R-E-V-E-P-O-R-T.
Sally
January 11th, 2010
5:22 pm
With Rennie Curran about to sign a lucrative NFL contract, does this mean the babydaddy will start paying the child support for the illegitimate kid he abandoned?
Sally
January 11th, 2010
5:22 pm
With Curran about to sign a lucrative NFL contract, does this mean the babydaddy will start paying the child support for the illegitimate kid he abandoned?
Sally
January 11th, 2010
5:25 pm
“NFL contacts or not, check the number of Dogs playing in the League. Few schools have more players in the NFL.”
That’s because the NFL has turned into a league of thugs. The UGA players fit right in.
we suck
January 11th, 2010
5:50 pm
UGA rules us and I have to live with it! Techie baby
The dude
January 11th, 2010
5:53 pm
HAHAHAHAHA, how many big name guys from UGA play in the NFL? Maybe Champ Baily and Hines Ward but there time in the league is over. But GT has Calvin Johnson, Tashard Choice, and Keith Brooking. And now with the four guys leaving now there will be more GT players tht are stars in the NFL. Matthew Staford is a waste pick by the Lions. They dnt have an offensive line and the only way is going to get yards is by throwing it up to Calvin Johnson (GT player). And then Noshawn is going to be a backup during his time in the NFL. Yes Tashard is a backup but he did score a TD in the playoff game last weekend. And he is a major part of tht run game. If you dnt agree your full of it
Gerald
January 11th, 2010
6:01 pm
Chip:
Any news on Cameron Myers of Lithonia at all? Strange … Rivals has him as a 3 star player, but he seems to have no offers at all even though he is the type of player that Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, South Florida etc. live on. Is his problem grades?
Gerald
January 11th, 2010
6:04 pm
The dude:
You are delusional. Knowshon Moreno and Matt Stafford and Mohammed Massoquai have great futures in the NFL, and tons of UGA guys are playing great in the NFL. Not as many as would be if the coaching were better, obviously. Now that Martinez is gone, UGA is going to go back to sending Strouds, Seymours, Grants, Baileys (Champ and Boss) to the NFL. But the offense guys will continue to underachieve under Bobo.